


Fake couple and amnesia

by Lenatoutcourt



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Amnesia, Amnesiac Mickey Milkovich, Closeted Ian Gallagher, Enemies to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Ian Gallagher and Mandy Milkovich are Best Friends, Lies, M/M, Mandy and Ian fake couple, Mandy is Ian's beard, Roommates, worst roommate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:06:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27913507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lenatoutcourt/pseuds/Lenatoutcourt
Summary: When he got to college, Ian thought he could finally live freely, be out and proud, at least before he learned that his roommate was Mickey Milkovich, his beard's brother.
Relationships: Ian Gallagher & Mickey Milkovich, Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich
Kudos: 53





	Fake couple and amnesia

**Author's Note:**

> This story exists in 2 different versions, one from Ian's point of view, and one from Mickey's point of view.
> 
> The two versions can be read separately, and in any order you want (but it's still more fun to read both to understand everything).
> 
> Anyway I hope you like it.  
> You can find the other version here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27913516

Growing up with 5 siblings and without any support from his parents, Ian Gallagher quickly learned that he would have to work to get by. No one would come, like in those silly fairy tales, to save him and his family from poverty.

Like his older sister and brother, he had accumulated a series of part-time jobs while finishing high school.

And at the end of high school, he had to choose between looking for a full-time job or continuing his studies, and in his mind, the choice was already made.

A job would allow him to get the money his family needed, while studying, on the contrary, would only add new expenses.

Although his decision made the most sense, not everyone agreed, quite the contrary.

Fiona, who had always played the role of mother in their little family, wanted at all costs to ensure him a good future, even if it meant having to work even more to pay for his studies. 

And Lip, his big brother, swore only by the diplomas, which were in his eyes the only way for them to leave the rotten life that their parents had left them.

Faced with their stubbornness, Ian offered a deal, which he thought was in his favor. He would only go to college if they found a way to fully pay for his expenses without any of them taking on extra jobs.

What Ian had forgotten to take into account was his family's ingenuity when it came to collecting money.

After this proposal, it had taken Lip only two days to find the necessary sum.

This miracle had a name, the Lishman scholarship.

The same name as Ian's lover a few years ago. 

A lover that Lip had never approved of, mainly because of the huge age difference between this wealthy doctor and his underage younger brother, and also because of the relationship between this doctor's son and their sister.

Ian had not tried to contact Ned to ask him the reasons for this help, but he strongly suspected that it had a link with Ned's wife who would surely not have appreciated knowing that her husband was sleeping with young underage boys.

Realizing that he could no longer protest, Ian had finally agreed to obey Lip and Fiona and even ended up finding it a less negligible interest. Living on campus, he could finally live the way he wanted, not hiding who he was.

However, he had to question this plan, when he met the student who would share his lodgment for the rest of the year. 

Mickey Milkovich.

Ian knew the reputation of the Milkoviches far too well and had even rubbed shoulders with them for a while. Or at least he had dated one of them, necessarily spending more time than usual with the rest of the family.

Mandy Milkovich was probably the softest of the Milkoviches. She could be brutal and swore more often than anyone else, but she was also the best friend Ian had ever had, and the only one outside of his family and his lovers to know that he was gay.

The neighborhood they both grew up in wasn’t the worst of all, but it wasn’t a very peaceful place either, especially for a young man who didn’t fall within the expected norm.

Ian had always done everything to hide his sexual orientation from the people around him, however, Mandy had found out. He had expected to be visited by Mandy's father and brothers the next day, but nothing happened. Or at least nothing unwanted.

Mandy had come to talk to him a few days later, to offer him to officially become her boyfriend.

Although strange, this arrangement had served Ian as well as Mandy, brushing aside the doubts of homophobes for Ian, and too-rushed suitors for Mandy.

No longer needing this fake relationship, Ian and Mandy had "broken up" a few weeks before he left for college.

They had seen each other in secret a few times since but had avoided public appearances to keep up appearances. 

And considering the glare Mickey Milkovich had cast on Ian upon seeing him enter the apartment, their acting was convincing, to say the least.

Faced with Mickey's presence Ian was forced to lower his expectations about his new campus life.

Impossible for him to live openly his homosexuality by living with the son of the worst homophobe that the earth has borne.

The animosity they felt for each other had quickly turned into open warfare, making Ian want to murder Mickey.

* - * - *

As usual, Mickey had been hogging the bathroom for over an hour, listening to his music loud enough that he couldn't hear Ian's screams from the other side of the door.

The urge to piss he felt made Ian's animosity towards Mickey even more. And while he could have easily used the kitchenette sink to relieve himself, he didn't want to stoop to such a level of indecency just because of Mickey.

He turned the handle on the bathroom door again, squeezing it with all his strength.

A crash echoed in the apartment, quickly replaced by growls, then screams of terror.

Ian was now on the ground, facing Mickey, who was pushed by the door and had made a memorable fall backward and hit his head hard on the ground.

Ian shook Mickey to make him open his eyes again, but to no avail, prompting him to ask for help.

  
  


* - * - *

“The shock was so severe that he has a partial-amnesia. He seems to remember a few people like his family, but couldn't even tell me your name when I asked him... "

Panicked by what he had heard, Ian quickly turned to Mickey before returning his gaze to the doctor.

Luckily, the warden of the building they lived in had a doctor for husband.

His presence had reassured Ian for a while, but his assertions after having auscultated Mickey were far less reassuring.

“I didn't test everything in detail with him, but he may also have difficulty with some basic tasks, such as cooking, or cleaning. I think it might be dangerous to let him do that. He would be able to set the apartment on fire. "

Even though he knew Mickey's accident was indeed an accident and that he had never meant to hurt him in this way, Ian couldn't help but feel guilty and worried.

“Is he going to stay like this forever?”

“A few days maybe- Weeks! I meant weeks. A few weeks. And he will have to be assisted with everything unless you have the money to provide him with medical help... "

Ian knew he couldn't afford to neglect his lessons by looking for a part-time job, and neither could he ask his family or even Ned for this money.

So there was only one option left, to help Mickey until he regained his memory, praying that it would happen asap.

“Is there something we can do to help him remember faster? Medication?"

“No… you just have to wait.”

Well formatted by Frank and Monica's “education”, Ian's first thought had been to shirk responsibility and leave Mickey alone with his problems.

However, he had come here to avoid ending up like his parents, and acting like them would clearly not help him achieve that goal.

He sighed deeply, then walked the doctor and apartment building attendant outside, promising the latter to keep her informed if he needed help.

Unable to face Mickey yet, Ian locked himself in his room, and facing this crisis, he did what he always did in these cases, ask Lip for help.

Lip had always been the more resourceful of them, and he was always the one they turned to when the going was dire.

Calling Fiona would have been another solution, unfortunately, Ian knew that letting his sister act, usually created more of a problem than a solution.

Ian didn't even give Lip time to say hello after picking up his call, and told him in detail everything that had happened before silently praying for his brother to find a miraculous solution.

“This shit is fucking weird. It takes more than that normally to induce amnesia ... It looks like a big lie."

"I was told by a doctor."

"Ian, do I have to remind you of all the times we made a doctor lie for us to solve a problem?"

Ian had no trouble remembering all the times his parents, or his siblings, had bribed a doctor. And the last example was not long since Ned, also a doctor, was the one who had allowed Ian to go to college without paying a cent.

"And how do I know if this is true or if the doctor lied?"

"Tell Mickey the worst story that comes to your mind, and if he doesn't react then you can tell yourself that his amnesia is real."

With a smile on his face, Ian thanked his brother and hung on, more than eager to implement the idea he had come up with while listening to Lip.

If he wanted to get Mickey to react he had to come up with the crudest lie possible, something that would totally disgust young Milkovich, and he knew exactly what.

* - * - *

Ian took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on Mickey's, ready to play the part of his life.

“To tell you the truth… There is something I have to confess to you. I don't really know how to bring it up because of your amnesia, and I didn't want to talk about it in front of other people because I know that sometimes you still have a hard time coping ... The two of us are dating. "

Time had stood still in the room, and Ian waited impatiently for an emotion to finally take shape on Mickey's face.

"Really?"

Mickey got up from the bed and walked slowly towards Ian, showing a small smile that completely unsettled the young Gallagher.

“I absolutely don't remember. But hey, it's not like you have a reason to lie to me. And at least, that way, I would be less embarrassed to ask for your help. As a boyfriend, it's okay for you to help me with everything. "

Contrary to what he had hoped, Mickey had not betrayed himself, even worse, he had accepted the idea of being in a relationship with Ian, leaving him totally helpless.

*-*-*

Although theoretically ill, Mickey did not seem in the least to be unwell and Ian had not counted the number of times since the doctor left where he had had to obey one of the young man's orders.

Being Saturday, he had no class to attend thankfully, but Mickey's relentless demands made it impossible to concentrate on anything, and he knew he couldn't support the situation much longer.

Even though he was disappointed that Mickey hadn't backed down after his assertion the night before, Ian wanted to give himself a second chance to crack him before accepting the idea that he might really have amnesia.

If Mickey passed the test he had planned for him, then he would agree to continue in his role as a slave until he recovered. 

But if he failed, and he was sure he would fail, he would make him pay a hundredfold for everything he had put him through.

* - * - *

After thoroughly cleaning the apartment and washing all the dishes they had used, Ian collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted.

Exhausted, but all the more determined to carry out his plan.

Mickey had gone to bed some time ago, and it was to Mickey's bedroom where Ian now planned to go.

He slowly opened the door. Mickey, lying in bed, straightened up to face him, and Ian put on his best smile in return.

He continued to approach him, sat down on the edge of the bed, and put a hand on Mickey's waist which he felt quiver under his fingers.

"What-"

"I know you don't remember the two of us, but I figured the best way to help you remember it was to still act just like before."

Mickey pulled back, his back to the wall, and watched Ian silently for long seconds before asking.

"You want to sleep with me?"

Ian looked down, much more confused by Mickey's question than he imagined.

He took a deep breath and lifted his head, hoping to sound sure of himself.

“I don't know if we'll get that far, but I would like to at least kiss you.”

If Mickey wasn't backing down now, it was proof that he had lost his memory.

Mickey Milkovich would never agree to kiss a man.

As if to contradict him in the worst possible way, Mickey grabbed Ian's shirt and pulled it towards him before crushing his lips to his.

Ian instinctively stepped back, and immediately regretted his reaction, totally at odds with his words.

Mickey had kissed him. Mickey Milkovich kissed him.

No! It wasn't a kiss. At least not a kiss worthy of the name. And that was no proof of his amnesia.

Ian slowly moved closer to Mickey, replacing the astonishment on his face with what he hoped was a flirtatious look.

He put his lips to Mickey's and slowly parted them, asking the young Milkovich to do the same before sliding his tongue into his mouth to stick it against his.

Once again he felt Mickey shake beneath him, and he hesitated to back off for fear of pushing that test too far.

But before he could even make up his mind to do anything, Mickey grabbed the flaps of his shirt and pulled him closer to amplify their kiss a little more.

Ian thought about backing up again, but the more Mickey kissed him the less he could think correctly.

Mickey may eventually have amnesia.

* - * - *

A simple kiss had turned into something far more dangerous.

Something that had forced Ian to face two facts. Mickey had amnesia. And as soon as he got his memories back, he would kill him.

It was this second fact that had caused him to flee their apartment before Mickey woke up and fled to the only safe destination he could think of.

He smiled as he heard his sister's screams reason through the walls of the house

“Ian? What are you doing here?"

“I just wanted to spend some time at home… you know where Lip is? He told me he was spending the weekend here. "

"Can't you hear him snoring? He's up there. Tell him that if he came here just to sleep he would have been better off staying there. "

Ian nodded and walked up the stairs two by two towards his brother's room.

He found him slumped on his bed, his head buried in the pillows.

Ian sat down unceremoniously next to his brother, who woke up with a start from the movement of the mattress.

"Fiona told me to wake up."

Lip, put one of his hands to his chest, feeling the frantic beat of his heart against his palm after the violent awakening he had just suffered.

“Fuck. What are you doing here? Did you fight with your fake amnesic? Or did you manage to get him to admit he was acting? "

"Not really. In fact, he just accepted my lie as if nothing happened. ”

Lip straightened up to press his back against the wall and tried to fix his full attention on what his brother was saying.

"So he really has amnesia?"

"No... I am sure he is not. And that's what bothers me even more..."

"Wait, I don't understand... Tell me first what lie you told him."

Although Ian was used to talking openly about all subjects with his brother, he didn’t find it honest to talk to him about what had happened between him and Mickey without Mickey's consent.

"I have to go." Ian said simply as he left the room.

Even once he got to the front door, he could still hear his brother's screams ordering him to come back and explain everything to him.

* - * - *

  
  


Unable to discuss with Lip what had happened between him and Mickey, Ian saw only one person to turn to. Even though his reaction with Mandy would likely be the same as his reaction to his brother, he needed to try or he might go mad.

He quickly walked the distance between their two houses, and climbed the front steps two by two, but stopped dead just before his fist touched the door.

Knocking on that door he risked coming face to face with Mandy's brothers who didn't like him at all since their "breakup", or worse, facing Terry Milkovich.

Even though there was no chance that Terry would find out with just a glance the reason for his visit, he was terrified to meet him.

Before he could decide whether he was willing to take the risk or run away, the door swung open.

Ian took a step back when he caught Iggy's dark gaze and braced himself for a blow anytime.

"What are you doing here Gallagher?"

"I came to see Mandy."

"You think I'm going to let you get close to my sister-"

"Your sister can decide for herself who she meets or not, asshole!"

Hearing his sister behind him, Iggy turned in astonishment before muttering a few words and walking away, pushing Ian as he passed.

Mandy sighed and motioned for Ian to follow her into her room.

“They still think I'm a poor little girl who needs to be protected… You want something to drink?”

"No, I'm fine."

Ian mimicked Mandy and sat down next to her on the bed.

“You look exhausted. Are you fighting with my brother again? "

Ian had gotten into the habit of complaining about Mickey to Mandy, much to Mandy's delight. She was amused to see him go through what she had gone through all these years living with Mickey.

"You know if he pisses you off too much you can tell him to fuck off?"

“Usually yes, but I can't since his amnesia.”

Ian thought for a moment that a second head had grown in him at the surprised expression on Mandy.

"His what?"

“His amnesia-”

“Since when does my brother have amnesia. If he has one, he forgot to tell me about it. "

"It happened yesterday morning. He fell in the bathroom. ”

Mandy pulled out her phone to look at the messages she had received from Mickey the day before and turned the screen to Ian.

“He sent me these messages around 10 a.m. And he doesn't look like amnesic at all to me. "

Ian quickly scanned the messages Mickey sent. There was indeed no trace of any amnesia at the sender, quite the contrary.

"Since when do you have a boyfriend?"

Mandy smiled as she turned her phone over to her. If Mickey had sent her texts the day before it was to order her to break up with her boyfriend because he was married.

She searched among the few pictures she had managed to take with him and turned the screen back to Ian, proud of her conquest.

“I knew long before Mickey that he was married. You guys don't know how to lie. But it suits me that he's married. So I get the presents and the dinners out, but not the in-laws and all that boring stuff. "

* - * - *

Ian slammed the apartment door shut behind him, making a loud banging sound throughout the place, pulling Mickey out of his bedroom.

"You! You will pay for that! After what you've done, you'll be cleaning up and cooking for me for weeks! ”

Ian hated the idea that he had been deceived and manipulated by Mickey.

Because of him, he had been forced to act like a slave all day, obeying his slightest orders.

The consequences of this trick had gone far beyond these simple chores, but nothing about this part was really a problem for Ian, at least, apart from the incomprehension in which it plunged him.

The idea that Mickey had gone this far just to hide his lie was disturbing, but the idea that he could actually be gay was so much more.

"What are you talking about-"

“I know you don't have amnesia! I know Mandy is dating the doctor we saw yesterday and I know you made him lie for you. ”

While growling at Mickey, Ian had moved closer to him, and they were now only a few steps away.

"I cooked, cleaned, washed-"

"It's not my fault you got screwed like a fool-"

"I slept with you!"

Ian watched Mickey slowly decompose in front of him, before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, and putting a perfectly neutral expression on his face.

"Don't worry, just because you've slept with a guy once doesn't mean you're gay."

Mickey's reaction didn't make sense to Ian, in fact, nothing about this situation made sense anymore.

“Believe me, I don't care about being gay. It's been a long time since I accepted the idea. "

"You are straight."

Ian frowned, instantly unable to understand what Mickey was saying.

Not knowing what to answer, he remained silent, letting Mickey continue.

“You dated Mandy. You are 100% straight. ”

Ian was disturbed. Mickey was convinced by what he was saying, despite the night he had spent together.

“Believe me, I'm 100% gay, and I've never slept with your sister. I think that I proved to you yesterday that I was absolutely not straight. And several times indeed. Are you going to make me believe that you don't remember? "

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Mickey had managed to make him believe once he had amnesia, but he wouldn't be fooled a second time, no. If Mickey had decided to play this game with him, Ian was determined to win.

"Really?" He asked, getting dangerously close to Mickey.

Ian was getting more and more sure of himself as the panic spread over Mickey's face.

"I'll make sure to refresh your memory then."

He kissed Mickey hard, vowing to stop the very instant Mickey showed the slightest sign of refusal.

But not sensing any reluctance in young Milkovich, he began to doubt the relevance of his approach. And as if imprisoned by that kiss, he decided to go a little further to make Mickey flinch.

* - * - *

Ian straightened up, his back against the wall, the better to observe Mickey lying naked next to him.

"You will never be able to forget that..."

"Fuck you, Gallagher."

"You're a lot less scary knowing that just a few minutes ago I had my cock deep inside you."

Mickey groaned and buried his face in his pillow, amusing even more Ian who leaned over to his ear to whisper.

"Does that mean you don't want to do it again?"

The more Mickey growled, the more Ian forgot the boredom he had felt when he learned that Mickey had lied to him.

He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed his pack of cigarettes. He lit one and inhaled deeply, letting the smoke fill his lungs.

"What just happened... Was that just to make me think you really lost your memory?"

It only took a few seconds for Mickey to turn around and glare at Ian.

"Do you really think I'm willing to go this far just to fool you?"

Ian nodded, convinced that Mickey's rage to win had no limit.

"Believe me, no one would take this enormous thing up in the ass… Just to prove something."

Ian smiled, accepting Mickey's remark as a compliment, and handed him the cigarette, which he gladly accepted.

"So, you're gay?"

"I like what I like, that's all."

Ian let out a chuckle at Mickey's inability to pronounce the word gay.

“When I realized I was going to have to live with you I thought I was going to go crazy… If I came here it was to stop hiding the fact that I'm gay, and I got stuck with the son of the worst homophobe I know. ”

Mickey took another pint before handing Ian the cigarette. He breathed out all the smoke he'd just inhaled through his nose, and Ian did his best to hide how sexy he found him right now.

“Try to live with this asshole 24/7 knowing that if he discovers your secret you're a dead man, only to find yourself in the same room as your sister's ex who could snitch on you any moment and there you can come and complain. ”

“Once again, I've never slept with your sister. "

Ian let his gaze slowly slide from Mickey's face to his back, then to the arch of his buttocks, all the more emphasized by his position.

“And I would never denounce you. I want to do lots of things to you, but not denounce you... "

The look Ian now cast on Mickey left no doubt as to his intentions towards the young man. And understanding what Ian was expecting, Mickey turned, letting him watch him from head to toe without any discomfort.

"Ready to do it again?"

Ian's smile widened at Mickey's provocative expression. He stubbed out the rest of his cigarette in the ashtray on the bedside table and pulled Mickey hard towards him until their faces were just inches from each other.

"You know that doesn't mean I'm going to forget you made me work like a slave all day."

“I don't know what you're talking about. I don't remember doing anything like that at all... "

Ian smiled even more at Mickey's deceptively innocent tone. He put his hand on the back of his neck and kissed him.

If thanks to this day of torture he could continue this special relationship that had developed between him and Mickey, then he was ready to pretend to forget everything in his turn.


End file.
